meanwhile etymology

Etymology

The word "meanwhile" comes from the Middle English word "mene-hwile," which is derived from two Old English words:

• Mene: meaning "common" or "intermediate"
• Hwile: meaning "time"

Meaning

"Meanwhile" is an adverb that means "during the time between two events or actions." It is used to indicate that something happens at a time that is intermediate between two other events.

Origin

The earliest known use of "meanwhile" in English dates back to the 12th century. It is believed that the word was originally used to refer to the time between two religious services. Over time, the meaning of "meanwhile" expanded to include any time period that falls between two events.

Usage

"Meanwhile" is a common word that is used in both formal and informal writing. It can be used at the beginning of a sentence, in the middle of a sentence, or at the end of a sentence.

Here are some examples of how "meanwhile" can be used in a sentence:

• Beginning of a sentence: Meanwhile, the children were playing in the backyard.
• Middle of a sentence: The adults were talking about politics, meanwhile, the children were playing in the backyard.
• End of a sentence: The adults were talking about politics, meanwhile.

meanwhile relate terms

• mean

  Etymology Old English mǣne Proto Germanic mainiz Proto Indo European mei to think

• mean

  Etymology Old English mǣne Proto Germanic mainiz Proto Indo European mei to think

• meanwhile

  Etymology The word meanwhile comes from the Middle English word mene hwile which is

• meantime

  Etymology Meantime ultimately comes from the Middle English word meanetime which emerged

• while

  Etymology is the study of the origin and historical development of words It involves trac

• time

  Etymology Old English tîma time period hour West Germanic tîmon Proto Germanic

• worthwhile

  Etymology Word Worthwhile Origin Old English Meaning Worthwhile means having val

• amidst

  Etymology of Amidst Middle English amiddes amides Old English on middes on midde P

• meantime

  Etymology Meantime ultimately comes from the Middle English word meanetime which emerged

• meantime

  Etymology Meantime ultimately comes from the Middle English word meanetime which emerged

• roustabout

  Etymology The word roustabout is derived from the French verb rouster which means

• betwixt

  Etymology Middle English around the 13th century betwixen Old English before the 1

• magnesia

  Etymology Greek magnesia μαγνησία Latin magnesia Proto Indo European

• interregnum

  Etymology Latin interregnum from inter between regnum reign Meaning A

• interval

  Etymology The word interval comes from the Latin word intervallum which is composed